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2 And the earth was without form,
and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God
moved upon the face of the waters. (Gen 1:2)
Burial at Sea from the 1928 Book of Common
Prayer:
¶ The
same Office may be used; but instead of the Sentence of Committal,
the Minister shall say,
U
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NTO Almighty God we commend the
soul of our brother departed, and we commit
his body to the deep; in sure
and certain hope of the Resurrection unto eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; at whose coming in glorious majesty to judge the
world, the sea shall give up her dead;
and the corruptible bodies of those who sleep in him shall be changed, and made like unto his glorious body; according to the mighty
working whereby he is able to subdue
all things unto himself.
With apologies to my old friends of West Point, I again turn to an old Navy
tradition that I find uplifting to my soul – the Burial at Sea. It is inspiring
for the gravity and reverence with which it takes place. The sea is a far
deeper grave than any landlubber can afford. Added to this fact is the
mysterious nature of the deep of the sea. If we consider the traditional
depth of the earthen grave to be six feet – a rule laid down by the Lord Mayor
of London in 1665 to prevent the spread of the plague – we can readily see that
the sea-grave is far deeper. In fact, if the deceased is buried in the Western
North Pacific over the Mariana Trench, the grave would be almost seven miles in
depth (35,743 feet).
But there is a far greater depth to the spiritual meaning of the term, DEEP,
when mentioned in God’s Word. The Word of God is not only infinite in
endurance, but infinite in depth of meaning. As an illustration, I will relate
a humorous, but true, story of an old Navy friend of man from the days of
Tonkin Gulf. He was aboard the USS Constellation aircraft carrier at sea
enroute its assigned station near Tonkin Gulf during the Vietnam War. Walking
near the stern of the deck, he saw a young sailor beholding the wake of the
ship and the broad, unbroken horizon. “Quite a large sea, isn’t it?” asked my
friend. “Yes, sir, it is, and just to think – we can only see the top of it!”
That seems a bit silly, but it is not silly when the spiritual ramifications
are considered in comparison to God’s Word.
Our depth of understanding depends on our depth of diligent
study in the immeasurable Deep of God’s Word. The Christian soul buried at sea,
or in the depth of the Spirit, may well call as out to His Maker as did the
Psalmist: O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I
remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill
Mizar. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy
waves and thy billows are gone over me. (Psalm 42:6-7) The ordeal of Jonah in the
belly of the whale is not unlike the trials of David as he searches his own
heart and spirit in the Deep of God’s purpose and meaning for him. The billows
roar and build, as the wet and piercing storms flood the surface of the sea
with torrential rains. These are very like the sorrows of life that seem to
overwhelm the Godly man as he struggles for to grasp God’s message in it all.
This lamenting prayer of David is preceded in this same
Psalm by these words of persevering faith: As the hart panteth after the
water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for
God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My
tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me,
Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me:
for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with
the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. Why art
thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God:
for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. (Psalm
42:1-5)
The superficial Christian who believes he has met his duty
by simply sitting an hour in church each week and hearing a bit of scripture
read to him as he half dozes in the pew, has no depth of soul or spirit
whatsoever. He does not love God and His Word sufficiently to prove all things
by the Holy Word of God. We have ample counsel in Scripture to command us
to study with diligence:
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim
2:15) It is
shameful to be so ignorant of the Word of the Lord as to need to be spoon-fed
only by a minister from pulpit on Sundays; especially in view of the grave
errors being preached today from many of those pulpits. 10 And the brethren immediately
sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the
synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more noble than those
in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and
searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed;
also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. (Acts
17:10-12)
Believing faith comes from diligent Bible study. If we have so
little regard for the word so as not to take the time to both read and study,
we are poor indeed. The Word of God came at great expense of the prophets and
ultimately the Lord Jesus Christ who died in redeeming us according to the
Scriptures. Reverence and love is essential to the Christian life.
19 We
have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed,
as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day
star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no
prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old
time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the
Holy Ghost.
(2 Peter 1:19-21) The overriding purpose of that
diligence in study is to prepare us to see that Day Star which shall dawn to
all who believe unto salvation.
The DEEP things of God cannot be acquired by superficial reading. The Word of
God must be read as the Love Letter that it truly is. Having God’s Law written
in the soft sinews of our hearts are reinforced by repetitive strokes of the
chisel of the Word to make more stark gravings thereon. 1 Hear the right, O LORD,
attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips. (Psalm
17:1)
Righteousness is more than a habit, but it is habitual, nonetheless. The more
often we reprimand Satan and do right, the easier the next victory over that
Old Serpent becomes. Digesting the Word of God at the deepest seat of the soul
will build a solid wall of protection around our souls. Before a brain surgeon
becomes so, he must study in great depth over many years. Should less be
expected of the Bible scholar?
12 For
there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over
all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him
in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they
have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach,
except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that
preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the
gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard?
Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends
of the world. (Romans
10:12-18)
